Twelve nations face full entry bans, seven more see partial restrictions as White House cites national security concerns
President Donald Trump has signed a new proclamation banning entry into the United States for nationals from 12 countries and placing partial restrictions on seven others, in what the White House is calling a necessary step to “protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors.”
The full travel ban applies to Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Another seven countries—Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela—face partial restrictions focused on specific visa categories, including tourist and student visas.
The proclamation, which takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday, builds on Trump’s controversial 2017 travel ban, which was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 after several revisions and prolonged legal challenges. That earlier ban targeted several Muslim-majority nations and was widely criticised by civil rights groups and immigration advocates, though the Court ultimately found it within the president’s authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
“This is a common-sense move to address ongoing national security and public safety risks,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. “Some of these countries have high visa overstay rates, others refuse to accept back deported nationals, and many fail to share vital threat and identity information.”
The administration cites a January 20 executive order (E.O. 14161), signed on Trump’s first day back in office, which directed national security agencies to reassess screening and vetting procedures worldwide. According to the White House, the resulting risk report found persistent gaps in identity verification, document integrity, and terrorist threats in multiple regions.
Among the most severely criticised countries in the accompanying Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data:
- Chad recorded a B1/B2 tourist/business visa overstay rate of nearly 50%.
- Equatorial Guinea had a 70.18% overstay rate among student and exchange visitors.
- Somalia and Afghanistan were identified as terrorist safe havens with no reliable vetting infrastructure.
- Iran and Cuba were flagged as state sponsors of terrorism that have refused cooperation with U.S. authorities.
Some countries were also cited for systemic non-compliance in accepting deportees. Eritrea, Laos, and Sierra Leone, for example, were found to have consistently obstructed the repatriation of nationals ordered removed from the United States.
Despite the sweeping nature of the ban, exceptions will be made. Lawful permanent residents, holders of valid visas, and individuals deemed to be in the U.S. national interest—including diplomats, dual nationals travelling on passports from unrestricted countries, and athletes participating in global events—may still qualify for entry.
Trump framed the move as a return to his first-term promises. “We will restore the travel ban—some people call it the Trump travel ban—and keep the radical Islamic terrorists out of our country,” he said during a recent campaign stop. The White House insists the measure is not a blanket ban based on religion, but a calibrated policy grounded in country-specific risk assessments.
The move has already drawn criticism from immigrant rights advocates, who argue the bans disproportionately affect vulnerable populations fleeing violence and persecution. But administration officials say the decision was data-driven and reflects each country’s current level of cooperation and risk.
The restrictions come in the wake of a recent terror-linked attack in Boulder, Colorado, which Trump officials said underscores the need for stringent vetting policies.
With the Supreme Court’s prior endorsement of executive authority in matters of national entry restrictions, the new travel ban is expected to face political backlash but relatively few legal roadblocks in the near term.
